My grand plan for 2009

Sunday was a great day. There were 6 of us heading out for a short easy ride. Two of our group, Pat and David, had just finished Ironman Arizona the week before (congrats to both of them) and were looking for a chance just to spin their legs. Pat was also coming out of his vegetarian slumber so he wanted to finish the ride with a burger, which was just fine by me.

The ride itself was pretty uneventful. Since we were taking it easy, I took the Vegas so it was my first group ride with the single speed. We mostly rode together and chatted. We chatted a lot about the boys Ironman efforts, which led us to talking about next year and who was doing what event, which made me decide it was time to declare my own goals for 2009.

So what kind of goals should I set. Should I be like David, who after completing his first full Ironman is talking a lot about his couch, coffee and yoga for 2009 (he will do much more)? Or perhaps I should model my goals after Pat. About one month before the Ironman he posted to our group that 2009 was going to be the "year of the bike!" and he was going to complete the California Triple Crown, which is three 200 mile rides in one year. As I understand it from listening to him on Sunday, I think his new plan is to complete the triple crown, ride the 3-day Courage Classic, compete in another full Ironman and race in the Kentucky Derby. (BTW - Pat is a great athlete who could actually do all of those events. Well, maybe not the Kentucky Derby). I could also choose to follow Sarah's lead and boycott any event that is jacking up the price because they can (check out her blog).

Perhaps I should start by reflecting on 2008. It's been a long year with a single focus on cycling. As a result, I have ridden 5,377 miles so far in 2008 and I am starting to feel it. A lot of those were training miles where I had a specific agenda I had to follow. Speed intervals, hill repeats, power intervals and such were always the norm. And way too many of those miles were solo. In preparing for the Terrible Two, I completed a 140 mile solo ride. As I reflect on the past the future, at least 2009, becomes very clear. It's time to remember why I ride.

So what are my goals?

1. Reduce cycling mileage by 30%. This may seem dramatic until you realize that this still has me riding almost 4000 miles.
2. Increase the number of ride that finish with 3 or more people sipping coffee by 50% (as in spend less time riding alone).
3. Increase cross training, which simply means I want to spend time doing other things like running, kayaking, and hiking.
4. Complete 5 events I have not done before or have not done in the last 5 years (I stole this from Coach Tim). This will be a mixture of running, there are some 10k's I like to try, and cycling. At least one event will require travel so Sherry and I can use it as an excuse for weekend get-away.
5. Increase the number of weekend mornings where I decide to sleep in with Sherry and have french toast for breakfast.

So there they are. As you can see, 2009 is all about fun and remembering why I started riding in the first place. With a plan that calls for more fun, more coffee with friends and more time with Sherry, I have a sneaky suspicion that I might just be able to stay on this plan.

For those of you creating your own goals for 2009 I have this one piece of advice. Please be sure your plan allows for plenty of recovery time with family and friends. And don't forget, we do this because it's fun.

Ciao!